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Buying a diamond engagement ring is not only a big emotional commitment but a significant financial one for most couples. While the internet is usually a great tool for conducting some initial research before buying a diamond, it can become difficult when you need to make a price comparison. The key piece of advice that i give my clients is – Don’t believe everything the diamond certificate tells you. After all it is only an opinion, graded by humans, who as we all know are prone to mistakes.
1. Certificate type
While the GIA is considered one of the most renown independant certificate on the market, there are some certificates that are really not worth the paper they are written on. Some are consistently at least one colour grade and clarity grade out. (to the downside) So while it might seem cheap on face value, it isn’t when you compare what you are actually getting for your money.
2. Excellent cut grade – What does that mean ?
It used to be that approximately the top 20% of stones received an excellent cut grade, today this figure is probably closer to the top 40%, as the parameters for an excellent cut grade are widening. The diamond grading laboratories like Google won’t tell you when they move them. You just need to know exactly what a perfect cut diamond looks like. Where you sit in this spectrum will not only be seen in the brilliance of the stone but the price as well. Make sure that when you are buying a diamond you don’t pay for a top 10% cut grade stone, when you are actually getting a top 30%.
3. Independently check your colour grade.
Colour grading can be affected by so many variables. How tired was the diamond grader at the time and things like excess coffee can all affect the way we perceive colour. The margin for error is so small, that it only takes a small error to cost you thousands depending on the size of diamond you are looking at. Make sure your diamond is checked by a qualified diamond grader. The colour on the left is an F colour and the one on the right is a H colour. 
4. Clarity grade – inclusion location
If you were deciding between two diamonds – one with an inclusion in the middle of the stone or one with a mark on the edge of the stone (that can be covered) i am sure you would choose the one on the edge. It is for this reason the diamonds with marks in the middle (table facet) are discounted and made cheaper. When buying a diamond always aim to have a girdle (edge) inclusion.
5. Fluorescence
A little understood characteristic. Basicly it is the way the diamond responds under ultraviolet light (like the one in discos). Anything slight to nill is ideal. Some medium fluorescent stones can be ok, but you really need to be careful as they can sometimes make the diamond look cloudy (which reduces the brilliance). Strong fluorescent stones are to be avoided – and they are much cheaper.
6. Laser inscription
This is a little be a nice to have – not need to have. The inscription is only on the surface of the stone. If someone wanted to, it is possible to have it polished off by a diamond cutter. So don’t discard a beautiful stone just because a stone doesn’t have a laser inscription
7. Not consulting a diamond expert
For complete piece of mind, it is always important to see a diamond expert when buying a diamond. You wouldn’t take your car to be serviced to someone that just sold tyers ? Like jewellery there are some who specialise in diamonds and some that just sell general jewellery. A diamond specialist will not only be able to tell you why a diamond is a better quality but be able to show you and answer any question you have about your diamond. 
At the end of the day, unless you want to look at your diamond certificate on the anniversary of your purchase every year, the diamond paper is not as important as finding the most brilliant diamond.
If you have found this helpful or have something you would like me to answer, please email me directly and i will answer any question that you have.
If diamonds would sparkle more in claw settings, then i am sure that almost every diamond ring would be set that way. Understanding the way a diamond sparkles has more to do with the cut of a diamond than it does the setting that it is in. A diamond owes its sparkle to the precision of the diamond cutter. The way the diamond cutter expertly cuts and polishes every facet to be within the smallest of margins allows the light to bounce around inside the diamond and exit through the top of the stone.
The nemesis of a diamond cutter is light leakage. Having light leak out through the back or side of a diamond will lead to reduced diamond scintillation. It only takes one facet to be off one tenth of a degree for the light to escape out through the bottom of the stone. Likewise it only takes a small deviation on some of the top kite or star facets for you to get an unbalanced sparkle from the top of the diamond.
Have you ever looked at a diamond and thought that there was a dead spot in the stone where the diamond just looked dull ? It was most likely due to light being lost out through one side of the diamond. A perfectly cut diamond should sparkle evenly from one side of the diamond to the other.
Make sure that you don’t get a diamond with dead spots. The effect is magnified when the diamond becomes dirty. If you are wanting the maximum sparkle to come from your diamond ring then a high performance cut diamond like the Passion8 “Hearts and Arrows” Diamond is a great place to start.
The Passion8 diamond has a 99% light return rating. All Passion8 Diamonds have also been scored as a triple excellent for; Scintillation, Dispersion and Brilliance. Which means that it doesn’t matter what setting you put it into. It will sparkle just the same in a claw setting or a full bezel setting.
A Passion8 diamonds takes 6 times as long to cut and is considered to be in the top 1% in the world for cut grade.
Not all triple excellent cut grade diamonds are equal.
Research Shows – Size Doesn’t matter !!!
A recent study found that 84% of respondents surveyed, stated that they would prefer a smaller diamond size if it was of a higher quality. This was in line with further questioning that showed that 86% didn’t want a showy engagement ring at the expense of quality.* (*Intertrade 2013)
When it comes to diamonds, diamond size is the least important characteristic. You can radically change the price of a ring by a $1000 by reducing the diamond size of a diamond by ten points (or 0.2mm, which is hardly discernable to the naked eye). To achieve the same saving without changing the size you would need to resort to having an incredibly flawed and yellow diamond, which is visible from a distance.
My advice is to always aim for a slightly smaller excellent cut high performance diamond like a Passion8 “hearts and arrows”, rather than just a larger one. Passion8 cut the most perfectly cut round and princess cut diamonds in the world. The precision cutting puts them in the top 1% in the world for cut grade. On average it takes them 6 times as long to cut a perfect cut “hearts and arrows” diamond as a regular excellent cut diamond. The also return 99% of the light that enters in through the table. One thing that clients comment on most is that their Passion8 diamonds sparkle for longer and even when dirty compared to their friends diamonds. Unfortunately diamonds are not like a bottle of wine – they are not going to get better in years to come. If you buy the best cut grade diamond you can now, it will always be the best and continue to sparkle for the rest of your life.
Come and see how much better a perfect cut looks than just going for a larger diamond size. If you have any questions or would like to know more about the Passion8 diamonds, please feel free to email at info@xennoxdiamonds.com.au
Which diamond cut looks the biggest? Have you ever wondered if a 1 carat round brilliant cut diamond looks bigger than a 1 carat princess cut diamond? I am often asked whether round or square diamonds look bigger by many brides-to-be as they begin the journey of picking their perfect diamond engagement ring. While the sparkle and fire of a diamond are important, the physical size of the diamond can also play a part in your decision making process.
Here is the maths for the surface area of a 1 carat princess cut diamond versus a 1 carat round brilliant cut diamond.
Formula for the surface of a square is length x width. square = a2 
For a perfect cut 1ct princess cut it would be – 5.5 x 5.5 = 30.25
Formula for the surface area of a circle = pi r 2 
For a perfect cut 1 carat round brilliant cut diamond with a 6.5mm spread – 3.252 x 3.14 = 33.16
From this basic analysis of the two different stones we can see that the round brilliant cut diamond is approximately 10% larger in surface area than the princess cut diamond. While this doesn’t take into account the effect of the claws, on face value it appears the round brilliant cut is winning the size debate. However, if you took the diagonal measurement of a 1 carat princess cut, it would measure approximately 7.7mm, which is more than 1mm wider than a 1 carat round brilliant cut diamond. So sometimes, when determining which one is bigger, it simply depends on how it appears in the flesh.
If you are about to set out on the hunt for your engagement ring and want to know how to get the biggest diamond for your buck, then read on. Ultimately, if you were to spend the same money, the princess cut diamond would actually give you a bigger physical diamond in comparison to the round cut diamond. This is because the rough crystal for a princess cut diamond is significantly cheaper and more economical to cut than that of the round.
Therefore, should size be an important consideration for you, you will be able to get a bigger diamond overall for your budget. On average, for well cut diamonds, there is at least a 25% price difference between a round brilliant and princess cut diamond. In the case of a 1 carat F SI1 round brilliant cut diamond, you would be able to buy a 1.3 carat F SI1 princess cut diamond.
From this we can see that if you were to spend the same budget, you would actually get a 10% bigger surface area by purchasing a princess cut diamond ring, instead of a round brilliant cut diamond ring.
While maths can be fun (well for some of us anyway), we are really passionate about finding the perfect diamond for you. Whether you have your heart set on a round brilliant cut diamond or a princess cut diamond, we will find the perfect ring for you. We are always available for a chat, and have an amazing selection of loose diamonds for you to have a look at. Please feel free to email me, if you have any questions or would like to make an appointment to view our diamonds.
As a family owned Jewellery business, i am proud to say that we are 100% Australian owned. Jewellery has always been in our family and was a big part of my up bringing. Being a second generation business, it gives me a lot of joy, to carry on the Xennox name, and uphold all the values that have been established over the last 37 years. My main drive and passion is to make Xennox diamonds, a name that is synonymous with high quality diamonds, jewellers who specialse in hand made manufacturing and unparalleled service.
My belief is that the answer to any client’s question is “YES”. There is nothing that our jewellers can’t do, or won’t do for our clients. There is always a way to achieve the desired outcome, its just a matter of finding a way. My job as the designer is to find the way. We always strive to do anything we can to help our clients, whether its giving advice, or helping a client restore a piece, their happiness is always paramount.
I never compromise on quality. I would always rather our jewellers scrap a piece and start again, then give something to a client that i am not 100% happy with. One of the great things about being extremely fussy, is that the finished product will always achieve a higher result. The benefit of upholding yourself to the highest standards, is that you get to work with really nice stones.
Our minimum diamond quality that we try and aim for is an F colour. This forms part of the white diamond range. While some jewellers will tell you that a G colour stone sits in the “near colourless” range. For me a G colour diamond pulls too much yellow. I find that most clients, can tell the difference between an F and a G colour, when placed side by side. The colour difference of an E colour is even more noticeable. I like to personally inspect every main diamond that we sell to ensure that our diamonds are “eye clean”. Where ever possible i try and find diamonds that have girdle inclusions. If a diamond must have an inclusion i always try and aim for a white inclusions, instead of a black carbon mark.
Dealing direct with the diamond cutters overseas, i have learnt a lot about how to get the best performance out of a stone. A diamond’s cut standard is something i am really passionate about. It is the only thing man has control over, and is the only reason a diamond sparkles. If you want the brightest cut diamond on the market, we recommend a Passion8 “Hearts and Arrows” diamond. Like a mechanic who listens to an engine to see what is right or wrong with an engine, i love looking into a diamond to see what the cutter has done right or could have done better at.
An excellent cut grade from the GIA, only tells you that a diamond falls within certain parameters. Approximately the top 30% of stones that go to the GIA, will get an excellent cut grade. According to the GIA, a diamond with a table facet percentage of 61% will still be eligible to receive an excellent cut grade. However i would never buy a stone with a percentage over 58%. This is why it is so crucial to have a diamond cut expert to look at your diamond.
At Xennox Diamonds, we are passionate about you and the jewellery we make for you. Whether you have just started your journey or you know exactly what you want, we are always happy to spend the time and sit down with you. Our reward is seeing our clients blown away, and it is what I and my jewellers always strive for.
Karl
Diamonds….. Is there such a thing as too many ? In years gone by, a traditional wedding band was considered just a plain band, either in white gold or yellow gold. However these days the traditional band is more an exception rather than the rule. In my experience only 1 in 50 brides will ask for a traditional wedding band. If you are trying to decide whether you should have a diamond wedding band, here are a few important things to consider.
If your diamond engagement ring is a traditional solitaire, then either a diamond wedding band or a traditional wedding ring will suit. However If your engagement ring has diamonds in the shoulders, then the complimentary wedding band is almost always a matching diamond wedding ring. Usually the width of the band compliments the engagement ring. Unless of course the engagement ring is quite wide (greater than 4mm), then it is quite acceptable to have a finer wedding band (around 2mm-2.5mm).
As mentioned in the previous paragraph, if you are matching the width, then it is a good idea to match the setting style as well. If you are going finer, then a great style to utilise is a grain setting. A grain setting, so named, because the beads holding the diamonds in, look like little grains, is ideal for creating a diamond border. This diamond border affect can really accentuate the centre engagement ring. Sometimes if you are choosing a wedding band that is much finer than the engagement ring, it is a good idea to go for a split diamond wedder. This is usually done to create symmetry with your ring. Depending on your need for symmetry, some brides will wait for the first year eternity ring, others will jump at the opportunity for some extra “bling”.
If a grain set wedding band is not your style, another style to consider is a shared claw wedding band. When selecting this style it is crucial that you ensure the band width is 3 tenths of a millimetre wider than the diamond. For example, if the diamond used is a 2mm diamond (0.03ct) than the width of the band should be 2.3mm. This is done to ensure the diamonds are not over hanging the band. If this was to occur, it will cause the diamonds to come loose more often, as they bump against the engagement ring.
Normally it is a good idea to match your wedding band diamonds to the shoulder diamonds of your engagement ring. The exception to this is with a princess cut diamond. Princess cut diamonds are best suited for channel settings, where the corners can be protected. If you would like to create a contrast, round brilliant cut diamonds seem to be the ideal all rounder, particularly if you need a fitted (curved) wedding band. The claws that sit in between the round diamonds create a more square effect, yet still allowing the wedding band to curve around the setting.
If you want to vary the width of your wedding band, then it is a good idea to vary it by at least half a millimetre. That way the variation will look intentional, rather than you tried to match the engagement ring unsuccessfully.
Whether you decide to have a diamond set wedding ring or a traditional band, will come down to your own personal taste. Ultimately there is no right or wrong ring, as long as you like the way that it looks and that it meets all of your requirements. If you are ever unsure what wedding ring suits your engagement ring, we are always here to show you all the options, so that you can see whether diamonds in your wedding band are for you.
As an award-winning jeweller, we would love to work with you and help you create your dream wedding ring.
Alternatively, why don’t you come to our luxury showroom and we can talk in person? We would love to have you here for a Discovery Session where we can help you choose the wedding rings that will suit you best.
Let us take some of the pressure off some of those things on your wedding to-do list so all you have to do is book an appointment today.
